Saturday, September 30, 2006

"The reopening of Angelo Brocato’s Italian Ice Cream Parlor, which had been closed since Hurricane Katrina after a century of operation, has brought an outpouring of relief and euphoria," says NY Times writer Adam Nossiter in the article Spumoni Fills a City’s Void, and Its Belly. "On the shop’s first day back in business, for which a band was hired, people drove from miles and stood for three hours in a line that stretched far around the block. Even five days later, on a midweek afternoon, customers lined the inside of the prim, old-fashioned parlor.

Mid-City seems deserted. Weeds grow lustily through the cracks in the sidewalk, and none of Brocato’s neighbors on Carrollton Avenue has returned. The five-foot-high waterline is still visible next door, and a light fixture dangles in the frame of what was once a store sign. But inside Brocato’s, there is a hub of vigorous activity. At one table, a group is celebrating a bar exam triumph; at another, a French Quarter bartender is toasting a day off.

In line, the faces are patient; nobody complains about the wait, and for solid reasons.

First, there is the taste. Zuppa inglese, amaretto, stracciatella and other flavors are creamy, not too sweet and custard based, with fresh fruits and flavorings often imported from Italy. No store-bought ice cream can erase the sumptuous memory."

There's more at the NY Times. Thanks to Sazerac for covering the re-opening.